February 11, 2011 -- The Canute Group has equipped more than 300 of its 750 vehicles with Quartix Pay As You Go vehicle tracking – resulting in annual cost savings of around £300,000.

The £100million company, with sites across the UK and Ireland, turned to Quartix after trialling two different systems. The first suffered from a spate of breakdowns; the second was removed when the operating company went into administration.

Mark Longhurst, IT manager, said: “The first system we tried had been installed on our recovery fleet, which operates Government contracts; these contracts dictate that we must have a fully operational tracking system so that we can update them as to the whereabouts of a vehicle at all times.”

Canute, one of today’s fastest growing supply chain providers, approached Quartix for a number of reasons, among them the company’s transparent pricing, straightforward pay-as-you-go rental scheme (no long-term contract), potential for cost savings, and the GPS system’s functionality and ease of use.

Mr Longhurst added: “All the above have been met fully, and the after-sales support has exceeded expectations.

“In fact, the team, ranging from the support desk to managing director Andy Walters, bends over backwards to assist when needed, which is refreshing.”

Canute financial director Steve Ely calculates the company saves £1,000 per vehicle per year – an annual total of around £300,000.

Mark Longhurst agrees: “There is definitely a cost saving per vehicle as idle times have decreased and our depots use the system to re-route their vehicles to new jobs whilst they are out on the road.

“In addition, and something I witnessed recently whilst out with one of our clients. There was a query on vehicle movements; we had the information to hand and on that particular occasion the system potentially saved us £200-£300.

“Also, there has been a decrease in the number of calls made to and from drivers; the less time our drivers and other staff are on the phone to each other the more they can focus on other areas of business.”

Canute’s first telematics trials involved a small number of vehicles, and it was only with Quartix’s appointment that a full deployment was commissioned.

The results, said Mr Longhurst, range from reduced costs to added value for customers, which “in itself brings financial benefits, including cost savings and new contracts.”

However, he considers the biggest benefit of using Quartix “is Quartix themselves.”

“The after-sales support is excellent and we have a fantastic working relationship with the entire team.” he said.

Based on its experience with Quartix, Canute is working with Andy Walters to develop the systems further and to seek more cost and control benefits.

Andy Kirk, sales and marketing director, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be Canute’s chosen supplier of vehicle tracking systems. It is a real pleasure to be working with a company which has such clearly defined requirements, and which uses the system to maximum effect.

“We hope to be working with Canute for many years to come, both on the existing system and as we introduce new technology in the future.”

More about Canute Group

When Canute Haulage Ltd was established in 1977 it had just two vehicles for collecting and delivering bricks and blocks for builders in the Purfleet area.

Today, the privately-owned Canute Group operates a fleet of some 750 purpose-made vehicles to cater for markets as diverse as engineering, retail, construction, agriculture, healthcare, industrial and warehousing.

With headquarters at Purfleet and locations throughout the UK and Ireland, Canute prides itself on having the infrastructure, resources and experience to develop bespoke supply chain solutions.

Among its many clients are organisations large and small, including numerous familiar brands and household names.

More about Quartix

Founded in 2001, Quartix (www.quartix.net) has grown to become one of the UK’s most successful vehicle tracking service providers.

Today, more than 2,500 customers across a wide range of sectors – including government organisations, housing associations, construction, hospital trusts, the emergency services, SMEs and large British brands – use the online service, with the company’s unique, own-design tracking unit currently installed in more than 28,000 vehicles.

The Quartix system provides users with a fast, efficient, 'point-and-click' source of real-time information, together with tailored e-mail reports. The highly-flexible service has scope to meet the needs of large corporations and owner-managed businesses alike.